Proud New BP Owner!!

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Originally Posted by craigafrechette

Congrats!! Welcome to the forum and the wonderful world of snake keeping!!

Sounds like you're off to a good start. Answering the questions above will help us help you though.

My only thought so far, is handling might be a bit rushed. I always advise new keepers to wait for the snake to eat three consecutive meals without refusal. Getting them eating well and consistently is of the utmost importance. And switching prey to F/T would be a new start so three consecutive meals without refusal starting with that meal.

I know it's tempting to want to spend time with your new pet, but their health should be prioritized over handling. You'll have 25+ years to handle your snake, let her get settled in And then start with 2-3 handling sessions a week for 10-20 minutes, gradually increasing time of handling sessions.

Other than that, sounds like you're off to a good start.

And there is nothing at all wrong with or boring about a normal. They are gorgeous animals just the way they were created. My first BP was a normal female back in 1999-2000ish. Gotta love the classics!!

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Ah, that all makes sense... There are many sources of advice, so I'll definitely slow down with her handling and wait until she eats three consecutive F/T fuzzies. With the feeding response she's had so far, I have no doubts that she'll be fine with those meals, but I would much rather put my own wishes aside and make sure I'm giving her the best life possible!

Thank you so much for commenting and helping me out!

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Originally Posted by Newbie39

You might want to grab a thermostat ASAP. I would unplug the mat until you get one. I also have a female normal. Lovely snakes. I believe they actually look the best. Lol. Welcome.


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I'll go get one today to avoid any problems with the mat. Thank you so much for commenting and advising!

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Originally Posted by alittleFREE

The screen will obscure the reading in my experience. Need to open the cage and measure the temp on the surface of the glass (I'm assuming you're using a tank).

I would get a thermostat ASAP and actually would consider not using the heat pad until you do. You don't know if there's a temp spike etc. It doesn't take long for the snake to get burned and once they do that's an unfortunate setback in their health and their acclimation. You can get relatively inexpensive on/off thermostats on Amazon for around $30 that will do the trick.

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I will go grab a thermostat today, as well as a hygrometer. I had no idea that the heat pads were so unreliable, it's sort of scary. Thank you for the advice!

Sounds great!!!

And yeah, a thermostat is an absolute MUST. Those heat mats can spike to temps as high as 120 degrees and can cause serious burns, neurological issues and even death when unregulated. It's really a shame that they are sold without a thermostat really.

But you're doing things right! Keep learning, keep asking questions, keep applying what you learn (but always cross reference multiple sources) and read, read, read. The more you know about your pet, the better you can care for your pet

Keep up the good work!!! :gj:

Congrats on the new BP! Normals are a great introductory animal, and quite frankly I find them just as beautiful as many of the morphs out there! Some normal love is always appreciated. I started with one as well, and he has always been the sweetest thing! Welcome to the club, though I will warn you, it will only be a bit of time before you get bitten by the bug and want another!

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Originally Posted by wolftrap

Hey there everyone!

I'm a newcomer to the world of BPs, and I'm not leaving! I went to my very first reptile convention (Repticon in Texas), and after looking at every animal at least twice, the hubby and I decided to go home with a sweet normal female. I had been absorbing information about BPs and snakes in general for the past couple of months prior, and after playing with the husbandry a little, Kira was home! I know it's kind of lame to just have a normal, but really she is so pretty, and I'm a solid believer that there's no such thing as an ugly ball python.

I left her alone for the first week (besides picking her up a little bit before then to check for mites), and then it was time to feed her. The vendor had been feeding all of their animals live fuzzies, so I went to the feed store and picked out possibly the cutest little rat I'd ever seen, along with some frozen fuzzies because I planned on switching her to F/T. I was worried that she wouldn't eat on account of potentially bad husbandry or stress, but she killed and ate without a problem!

48 hours after I fed, I handled her a bit and she was NOT happy... hissed, made a show, kinda made an S shape so I left her alone until she had fed successfully twice, just to make sure that she was happy in her enclosure. The week passed and I tried thawing a frozen fuzzy, again worried that she wouldn't eat because I'd heard how difficult it can be to switch your BP from live to F/T... but after dangling for just a few seconds, she ate without any problems whatsoever!!

I just wanted to share my experience as a new owner, and maybe tell my story of the first couple of weeks and get some pointers about what I should be doing differently, etc. I am now handling Kira for about 10 minutes a day (48 hours after eating and watching for signs of shed, of course), and she is to the point where she will accept handling without hissing or making a show. This post might be boring to some, since I can't even post pictures, but I'm just so proud of my little danger noodle!! It's so difficult for me to find people who want to hear about Kira without wanting to kill her!

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Well Congrats & Welcome!! Just like everyone else Hakuna Matata on the Normal.. I’m sure many of us started with the infamous “wild caught “.. WELCOME!!

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Originally Posted by Slicercrush

Congrats on the new BP! Normals are a great introductory animal, and quite frankly I find them just as beautiful as many of the morphs out there! Some normal love is always appreciated. I started with one as well, and he has always been the sweetest thing! Welcome to the club, though I will warn you, it will only be a bit of time before you get bitten by the bug and want another!

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I hate to say, but I already want another one!! I'm definitely giving myself a pretty lengthy cool-down period though... I want to make sure that I do everything right for Kira before I load myself with more responsibility! :)

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Originally Posted by miechBIG

Well Congrats & Welcome!! Just like everyone else Hakuna Matata on the Normal.. I’m sure many of us started with the infamous “wild caught “.. WELCOME!!

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Thank you so much! The people on this forum have already made my danger noodle journey so much more comfortable and informed! :D

you've already received great advice, so i just want to join the welcome wagon: welcome!!!

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Originally Posted by wolftrap

I hate to say, but I already want another one!! I'm definitely giving myself a pretty lengthy cool-down period though... I want to make sure that I do everything right for Kira before I load myself with more responsibility!

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this is exactly what i did: i got my first beep—a hatchling albino male—in 2014, and i immediately knew i wanted another. but i waited almost 3 years before deciding i was ready for another one. over those 3 years, i had many typical issues and setbacks, but only when i was confident in my care and knowledge did i consider getting my second.

then shortly after, i got 4 more. and a corn snake. and a crested gecko. :)

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Originally Posted by tttaylorrr

you've already received great advice, so i just want to join the welcome wagon: welcome!!!

this is exactly what i did: i got my first beep—a hatchling albino male—in 2014, and i immediately knew i wanted another. but i waited almost 3 years before deciding i was ready for another one. over those 3 years, i had many typical issues and setbacks, but only when i was confident in my care and knowledge did i consider getting my second.

then shortly after, i got 4 more. and a corn snake. and a crested gecko. :)

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Geckos are amazing, and I would love one if you didn't have to feed them live crickets! I couldn't sleep in a house with a bunch of crickets, and God help me if they ever got loose...
But I would love to own a corn or a king someday!